In Korea, Christmas does not hold such a big meaning as it does in other Western countries and thus, is not so much characterized by interesting Christmas cultures. To most people, Christmas is a day for going out on a date if you are in a relationship, or for the less fortunate, it is just a day for watching Home Alone or the Harry Potter series while munching on a pack of potato chips.

Christmas can offer you that magical moment you have always longed for. While it may seem tedious and painstaking to walk through the cold weather of December, do not let this Christmas pass you by without its magical moment. Why not design your own Christmas date schedule in Daejeon to perfect your relationship? These are just a couple of ideas that may help you.

In Korea, the time of the year most hated and feared by singles is probably Christmas. For some reason, Christmas in Korea has evolved into a holiday for couples. When Christmas Eve rolls along, swarms of lovey dovey couples crowd the streets, shamelessly flaunting their romance in public.

B-boys and beat-boxing, once attributed only to coarse street culture, have found their way to the formal stage as musicals, and have not only experienced great commercial success but also showed what potential the genre has to show in the times to come.

Musicals have gained so much popularity, especially in the recent years, and have reached the point of being equally, or even more, appealing as moviegoing for some people. All the more so, given their increasing accessibility, interactive atmosphere during the performance, dynamic unfolding of the story with ad-libs, and diverse topics target different parts of the population.

Musicals have been gaining much popularity in Korea. Going to the theater to watch a live performance of a famous musical has become one of our favorite pastime activities. Here at KAIST, you can also learn to enjoy musicals through the course titled The World of Musicals.

Despite its small community, KAIST has brought forth quite a few well-known music bands. Among those bands is Band E.T. This band repeatedly shows up on the lineup list of many live band clubs or music festivals in Daejeon. The band’s music is as peculiar as its name, with its characteristic space-like sound that you cannot find anywhere else.

There aren’t that many chances in KAIST to watch live bands perform. Though more performances are being organized within the school than before, we’ve cooked up a list of places outside campus where you can get a better feel for the independent music scene. The following list are the standout (if not only) examples of performance venues in and around Northwest Daejeon.The Stray Cat (29

ParadigmFormed in the summer of 2011, this three member band from KAIST is truly noteworthy not only in their unique style of music, but also in their interesting combination of different cultural backgrounds. Joonhee Lee (junior, Department of Industrial Design) from Korea, Kaushik Sarma (junior, Department of Aerospace Engineering) from India, and Sungwon Choe (graduate student, Department of Co

Normally, the hectic bustle and mayhem of on-campus festivals are associated with spring, when KAIST holds its annual Spring Festival. However, just as the weather is about to take a chilly turn this fall, an ambitious team that combines the forces of both the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Councils (with a little outside help), has organized the KAIST Art & Music Festival (KAMF).Establish

On April 14, TEDxKAISTChange was held in the Applied Engineering Building’s Media Lecture Room with three invited speakers and fifty attendees. With three previous successful events on campus, TEDxKAISTChange was the fourth installment under the same theme as TEDxChange – a special project by TED and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – held on April 5 in Berlin.

Futsal is a rising sport among the KAIST community, becoming more popular by the day. After the construction of futsal fields last year, many students have taken the opportunity to play futsal with friends. Aquila, a futsal group on campus consisting of fifty passionate players, has organized an on-campus tournament this month for KAIST students only.

Since its founding last year, Son Su Rae has been active in organizing various activities around the KAIST campus to help make the university a “fun place to be.” This year, Son Su Rae is holding a joint club event, Club Son Su Rae, for KAIST students to enjoy the Son Su Rae club on the first day and the club Cocoon on the second day of the party.

Cultural activity courses for Leadership III are offered every semester to provide new students with opportunities to try something different from the subjects normally taught at KAIST. Senior students who have completed Leadership I and Leadership II courses and are interested in teaching a Leadership III course can apply to become teaching assistants and establish their own courses.

Every semester, the Leadership Center offers special lectures on everything from playing the saxophone to coaching and speech presentation skills. Lasting about ten weeks, these classes give the students a chance to learn something other than science and engineering-related topics during their leisure time.

You wake up from your sleep only to find that it is way past lunchtime and that the school cafeteria is already closed. You throw on whatever you can find and head out to the school store, returning to your room with stacks of microwavable curry and rice.

Spending a weekend at KAIST can be tortuous to some – the campus is silent, your roommate has gone up to Seoul and all you see outside your window is trees and kittens. For those new to KAIST or have never travelled farther than the boundaries of Eoeun-dong, escaping the main campus may even seem like a daunting task.

The KAIST Library recently added around 500 e-books that are accessible through a smartphone application provided by Korea’s largest bookseller, Kyobo. Available on both Apple’s App Store and the Android Market, the Kyobo eBook application gives its users access to a large selection of books that is just a touch away.